William Mosconi was born on June 27, 1913 in Philadelphia. Like Greenleaf, Mosconi was the son of a poolroom owner, had early access to a table, showed great promise before the age of 10, and had a father who prodded and pushed him into the sport. Willie's first exposure to the game came during his late-night forays into his father's four-table poolroom, which was located directly below the family home. In his biography, Mosconi says he would literally climb barefoot down a rain pipe to raid the candy counter in the little room after it closed.

Joseph Mosconi, Willie's father, began to organize exhibition matches for the boy after coming to realize how much talent he had. One pitted young Willie against Ruth McGinnis, the legendary female player. Another pitted him against Greenleaf himself. At the time, Willie was 7 years old and Greenleaf was 19 or 20. Greenleaf won by just four points, although I suspect he was going easy on the boy.

Mosconi won his first world tournament in 1941, and then won more in 1942, 1944-1948, 1950-1953, 1955 and 1956. In 1957 Mosconi was incapacitated by a stroke (or something very much like one - his daughter described it as a "temporary ischemic attack") that paralyzed the left side of his body. Mosconi eventually returned to the game, but never again regained the championship. He came close during a tournament in Burbank, Calif. - but ended up falling short.

Since 1978, Billiards Digest magazine has been the pool world’s best source for news, tournament coverage, player profiles, bold editorials, and advice on how to play pool. Our instructors include superstars Nick Varner and Jeanette Lee. Every issue features the pool accessories and equipment you love — pool cues, pool tables, instruction aids and more. Columnists Mike Shamos and R.A. Dyer examine legends like Willie Mosconi and Minnesota Fats, and dig deep into the histories of pool games like 8-ball, 9-ball and straight pool.